


straight through the roof!

by Jelly



Series: a trilogy of fluff [2]
Category: Dragons: Race to the Edge, DreamWorks Dragons (Cartoon), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, can't stop won't stop, this ship is the only one that doesn't hurt me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 12:03:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9895676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jelly/pseuds/Jelly
Summary: Or: Astrid’s journey from “Fine, maybe I do sort of like Hiccup, are you happy?” to “I’m pretty in love with him, aren’t I, girl?”A companion toat least kiss me just to shut me up.





	

It starts with an accusation.

 Well. Okay. It’s not _really_ an accusation – it’s a question Heather asks that knocks Astrid so off guard that her axe misses its target by a margin of _entirely the wrong direction_. She’d like to _think_ that Heather’s genuinely just curious but there’s something about the way she asks and that makes Astrid feel uncomfortable in her own skin.

 “So… you and Hiccup are a thing, right?”

 A thing? _A thing_? Astrid fights the urge to laugh. “What? No, just friends,” she says, swallowing the weird sense of panic building in her throat.

 Heather snorts. “Come _on._ I’ve seen you the way you two are together.”

 What is this? Is she _blushing_? “No,” she manages. “Seriously. _Friends.”_

 “Hm.” Heather snorts again, and Astrid feels like she’s been caught red-handed committing a crime even though there’s legitimately nothing in this conversation to feel caught-out about. “He’s kind of cute.”

 “I _guess_.” Astrid flounders for a second – gods, where did this even come from? “If you like the unassuming, heroic, dragon rider type.”

 Heather flings her axe at the target and smirks when it hits its mark. “Bullseye,” she says.

 Astrid’s pretty sure she’s not talking about the target.

 

 

Later, while she’s removing Stormfly’s saddle, she scoffs. “Heather has some crazy ideas, huh, girl?” she says mildly, pretending her mind hasn’t been forcing her relive Heather’s accusation all day. “I mean. Me and _Hiccup_? She had to be joking, right?”

Stormfly lets out a sarcastic squawk.

 Astrid stares at her. “You can’t seriously be thinking that too.”

 Stormfly squawks again – _who do you think you’re kidding?_ – and takes off to settle in her perch, leaving Astrid gaping after her with her heart beating far too loudly in her chest.

 

 

 The idea is ridiculous, so Astrid pretends she’s not even a little phased by it.

 (She’s phased by it a lot).

 Where would anyone even get the idea that she and Hiccup were a _thing_?

 (Fine, okay, she’d kissed him a couple of times – maybe three or four on the cheek beyond those – but she didn’t really mean anything by them! Well. She did. But that’s not the point!).

  _But,_ okay, _but_ it’s not like she spends any more time with Hiccup than she does with the others or vice versa. Even if she did, it’s because she’s his second in command and they kind of _do_ need to spend time together if they want to keep the Edge running smoothly. Plus, they’re – y’know – _friends._ Really _good_ friends that – that joke around with each other, and support each other, and keep each other from getting killed when one thinks it might be a good idea to invent a set of wings and jump off a cliff to test them.

 She does all the same things with Hiccup that she does with the twins, or Fishlegs, or Snotlout, and _none_ of those things are particularly romantic.

 (Except, like, little things, she supposes, like their little private talks on the beach, and that thing that they do where they look at each other know exactly what the other wants to say, and the little hand touches that are sometimes more meaningful than words).

 Whatever, okay, it’s not like she lies awake at night thinking about him.

 Wait.

 Astrid groans. “Oh no.”

 

 

“ _Fine_ ,” she snaps. She hurls her axe into a tree and sighs. It’s the middle of the night, and she figures that if she’s not going to get any sleep over this situation, she may as well use the time productively.

 Stormfly, who had followed her out to keep her company, trills and watches her with curious eyes.

 Astrid purses her lips. She plops down beside her dragon and buries her face in her hands with a groan. “Maybe I _do_ sort of like Hiccup, are you happy?”

 Stormfly warbles like she’s laughing at her and rolls over for a pat.

 

Her parents’ house burns down while she’s on the Edge, and while _knows_ it wasn’t her fault, the guilt that she couldn’t have been there to stop it eats at her from the inside out. No one was hurt, and she supposes that’s what matters most, but still. The home she grew up in is gone, and now that it is, she doesn’t really have anywhere to stay on Berk.

 When Hiccup asks, she sort of just shrugs and takes her sleeping mat from Stormfly’s saddle.

 “I figured Stormfly and I would just bed down here,” she says grimly.

 Hiccup lets out laugh. It’s awkward, and nervous, and Astrid knows from the second that he does it that he’s up to something.

 “What a coincidence,” he says, “I’m sleeping here too!”

 Astrid stares at him. “ _Why?_ You have a warm bed and house.”

 “Yeah, but,” he starts awkwardly. “The way my dad snores… sawing logs… you know. Toothless and I wouldn’t get a wink.”

 No offense to Hiccup, but Astrid thinks he’s a terrible liar. She’s relatively sure that if she’d said “I don’t know yet,” he’d have offered for her to stay at his in a heartbeat. The ground in the arena isn’t exactly comfortable, and Berkian weather isn’t known for its balmy nights – there’s literally every reason for him to just go home and get a good night’s sleep there. She's pretty sure he just wants to keep her company.

 It’s sweet.

 

 

It turns into a little sleepover because _everyone_ wants to stay out with her in a show of support, but it’s Hiccup’s gaze that she catches over the fire. His lips twitch into a reassuring grin as he settles on Toothless and Astrid’s stomach flips like Stormfly’s just done a loop at top speed.

 She’s always known that he’d had a bit of a crush on her - that was obvious long before he’d even trained Toothless.

 She wonders if he still has one now.

 Beside her, Stormfly hums _– it’s a losing battle, you know_ – and Astrid hums too because she thinks she might be right.

 

 

Heather pretends to join the Dragon Hunters for information, and it would be a fantastic plan – if Astrid didn’t have to lie about it.

 It’s risky as all Hel.

 If the Hunters find out who she is, she’s all sorts of screwed over, but, Heather reasons, they can’t tell Hiccup because he’d try to pull her out. They’re too close for Heather to just stop now, and, while it _sucks,_ Astrid knows she’s right.

 Lying to Hiccup, though?

 That feels wrong. _So_ wrong.

 They’re _supposed_ to be a team. _Them._ Hiccup and Astrid. He tells her to her face how much he relies on her on a regular basis. If there’s one person he’s supposed to be able to trust beyond a shadow of a doubt, it’s _her_ and she’s _lying_ to him.

 In the end, it all comes out because Toothless was one blast away from hurting Heather and Windshear to get Ryker. Naturally, Hiccup is furious – but it’s the worst kind of furious because he doesn’t yell.

 Astrid would honestly rather he yell.

 “Hiccup,” she says at last. He’s been silent the whole time she’s been explaining the situation to everyone else and it makes her heart feel heavy in her chest. “Would you say something? _Please_?”

 He stares at the floor, fists clenched at his sides. Toothless nuzzles his hand affectionately, and, at last, he sighs. “We’re supposed to be a team, Astrid,” he says quietly.

 Oh gods, this sucks. She wishes he’d just be _mad_ – _really_ mad, not this silent sort of angry and disappointed. He can’t even _look_ at her. “I know. I should’ve told you. I wanted to. I really did.”

 “But you didn’t.”

 Astrid hangs her head. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles. Even to her, her apology doesn’t sound like enough. “But without Heather, the Dragon Hunters would have a key to the Dragon Eye, right now, and those snow wraiths would not be safely hidden on another island.”

 “That still doesn’t explain why you wouldn’t let me take her and Ryker down,” he says. He’s closer to her now, and when Astrid looks up, she expects to see resentment in his eyes. There isn’t any – they’re sad. Heartbroken, even, knowing that _she_ would lie to _him_ , of all people. “We could have captured the head of the Dragon Hunters, Astrid.”

 Guilt aside, Astrid pauses. “Hiccup, Ryker isn’t the head of the Dragon Hunters. According to Heather, their real leader is somebody named Viggo Grimborn. He lives in the shadows – everyone’s afraid of him, even Ryker. Heather hasn’t met him yet, but she’s our best shot at drawing him out.”

 Hiccup says nothing for a while. He turns away from her and glances out at the bay. For a second, Astrid wants to reach out to him – to stop him from walking away – but he turns instead and says, “Well, I hope she knows what she’s doing. For all our sake.”

 And then he leaves.

 She considers going after him.

 She doesn’t.

 

 

 Later, when he’s cooled off a bit, Astrid heads for his hut.

 He’s sitting with at his desk, fiddling with one of Toothless’ tails, and he doesn’t look up when she knocks. “I thought you’d gone to bed,” he says.

 Astrid shifts uncomfortably. “I thought you had too.”

 Hiccup snorts, testing the hinge carefully. “You didn’t, or you wouldn’t be here.”

 The bitterness in his voice hurts and Astrid falters. He knows her too well. She takes a breath and lets herself in. “Can we talk?”

 “About what? You lying or you not trusting me?”

 She blinks. “Hiccup – of course I trust you – how could you _think_ –”

 “You didn’t tell me about Heather.” He looks up at last, hooking his metal leg around a nearby stool to bring it closer. He jerks his head and motions for her to take a seat. “I’m not mad because you lied to me, Astrid,” he says quietly. “I’m mad because you didn’t trust me to know. I thought that… if there was anything you needed to talk about – _anything_ – you would feel comfortable enough to talk to me.”

 “Hiccup –”

 He holds up a hand. “Let me finish. I just… I rely on you. A _lot_. I need you to be there when I can’t – and sometimes even when I _am_. I would trust you with my _life_ but… if you can’t trust me…”

 “Stop.” Astrid swallows. Her throat feels sore with the things she wants to say but doesn’t know how to, and she thinks that if he keeps going, she may as well just jump from Stormfly’s back the next time they’re miles in the air. “Hiccup. _I’m_ sorry. _I’m_ sorry I didn’t tell you. I – I wasn’t thinking. I should have – ” She takes a breath. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to make this up to you. I’m just – I’m _so sorry_.”

 For the first time all night, Hiccup looks her in the eye. Properly. His eyes are green, and honest, and forgiving, and Astrid hadn’t realized until just now how much she loves them. “I’ll make you a deal,” he says, taking her hand in his and drawing circles into her palm. “No secrets. Not between the two of us. Promise you’ll trust me enough to talk to me about anything.”

 Astrid scoffs a little despite herself, and her fingers close briefly around his. “You know, both parties have to agree to something for a deal to be a thing.”

 “Just promise.”

 “Fine.” She squeezes his hand, ignoring the way her heart thumps loudly in her chest. “I promise.”

 He lets a smile tug at the corners of his mouth and squeezes back. “You’ve made it up to me.”

 Astrid smiles too, and, for the first time, the idea that she _might_ be in love with Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third doesn’t scare her, at least because she knows that he might be in love with her too.

 

 

Saving each other’s lives isn’t really a big deal for them because they’ve done it so often, but there’s something different about the latest mishap. Astrid genuinely doesn’t remember much of it because she was – literally – half dead, but for every part she _does_ remember, Hiccup is there.

 She remembers him sitting at her bedside for hours with maps and notes, looking for any clue on how to find a buffalord; she remembers him replacing the damp cloths on her forehead when her fever started to climb; she remembers him holding her and almost begging for her to hold on – _“I can’t imagine a world without you in it,”_ he'd said – and Astrid remembers the desperation in his voice when he struck a deal with Viggo.

 Yeah.

 She’s pretty sure he’s in love with her. She knows because of the way he looks at her, and the way he touches her, and she’s not sure she’s ready to fully admit that she feels the same just yet, but she’s happy to say this:

 “I can’t imagine a world without you either.”

 Hiccup’s lips twitch upwards.

 Astrid doesn’t think she’s ever seen a smile as brilliant and beautiful as his.

 

 

They invite Heather to come and stay for a while.

 There’re a ton of reasons why: she’s a friend and they miss her; she could use a couple of days to rest; and there is a _lot_ to talk about. She stays in Astrid’s hut because they’re the closest (and the most appropriate), and while she’s setting up the spare bedroll, Heather asks:

 “So, are you going to do it?”

 Astrid pauses. “Do what?”

 “Talk to Hiccup.”

 Another pause. “About what?”

 Heather laughs. “Come _on_ , Astrid. We talked about this earlier. You didn’t even deny it this time. Are you gonna tell Hiccup how you _feel_?”

 “What’s there to tell?” Astrid finishes up with a huff and leans back against the wall. What _is_ there to tell, really? They know each other well enough that Hiccup probably already knows – but Heather doesn’t have to know that.

 “Astrid, you’re _killing_ me.”

 Astrid lets out a laugh, and she wraps her arms around her shins and rests her cheek on her knees. As much as Heather is one of her best friends, this is something she doesn’t want to share just yet. If she were perfectly honest, she rather enjoys the little dance she has with Hiccup – the joking had turned into openly flirting months ago, and any excuse to touch her hand or his shoulder is a verifiably good one. They watched the sunrise together once, not because they'd planned to or because it was a particularly romantic thing to do, but because they'd watched the sunset together the night before and talked for so long that they got to watch it rise again.

 It’s ridiculous. Astrid barely recognizes herself in all of this, but that’s okay. Hiccup is happy, and that’s all that matters. The reason she hasn’t done what Heather wants her to do is that she has always been the ones making all the moves before. This time, she _knows_ that Hiccup wants to move first. He’s just… waiting for the right moment, she thinks.

 “Astrid.”

 She glances up. Heather is sitting on the spare bedroll with a grin.

 “You love him, don’t you?”

 Astrid feels her cheeks grow warm, and she shuts her eyes and takes a breath. “Yeah,” she admits finally. _Finally._ “I think I do.”

 

 

Their first real kiss happens on the hangar.

 Gods, it’s been such a long time coming that Astrid can’t wipe the grin off her face for hours afterwards. Of course, they don’t part for those hours. They’ve been waiting far too long to just leave it at that. They sit with their feet hanging off the edge of the hangar, talking quietly to themselves about everything, and about nothing, and he kisses her over and over again, like he has no idea how he’s managed this far without her.

 When they finally, finally part ways for the night (not without one last kiss goodnight, obviously), Stormfly bounds into the hut wearing the goofiest, toothiest smile a dragon can wear, and she climbs onto her bed like she’s waiting for Astrid to say something about it.

 “You were _there_ ,” Astrid laughs. “You saw everything, you don’t need me to tell you all about it. Gods, you remind of Heather.”

 Stormfly squawks.

 “I don’t kiss and tell, Stormfly, come on.”

 But Stormfly doesn’t move. She bobs her head up and down expectantly – _you know what I want to hear_ – and Astrid covers her face with her hands and giggles into her palms.

 “I can’t believe I have to confess this to a _dragon_ ,” she mutters. “ _Fine._ I’m pretty in love with him, aren’t I, girl?”

 Stormfly lets out a satisfied warble and hops off the bed to nuzzle her affectionately.

  _Yes_ , she seems to say. _Yes, you are._

 

-

 

 _And when you touch me,_  
_It’s almost like you love me_  
_x_  
_You’ve got me flying_  
_Straight through the roof!_

-

**Author's Note:**

> 1) I just wanted to take a minute to say THANKS EVERYONE for all the support you gave to the last. You guys don't even know how lovely it was to see that many notes on tumblr build up over literally 3 days, so thank you, thank you, thank you!
> 
> 2) The title and quotes are from "Summertime", again by The Mowgli's because I may or may have not listened to it on repeat the entire time I was writing this. I figure if this is gonna be a trilogy of fluff, I may as well commit to a theme.
> 
> 3) Blatant Gravity Falls reference is blatant.
> 
> 4) I promise I can write more than fluff, just let me have this, okay?? I think this is the only ship I've ever shipped that doesn't destroy me haha! Hope you guys liked it!


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